Lapping machine



June 9, 1925. 1,541,001

R. R. SEARLES LAPPING IACHINE Filed Dec. 4, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 9, 1925. 1,541,001 y R. R. sEARLEs LAPPING MACHINE Filed Dec. 4, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WAI-ulm,

i Application 1e|l .1)' ecember, will.' uleriallll'oilil. l i

To all whom it may concern: `1 f Be it known that I, RAY'LIONDRQSEARLES',

a citizen of the United States of America,

residing at New Britain, .Hartford County,

l 5 Connecticut, have invented a. new and'useful'- Lappin Machine, of which the .following is as eci cation. j

y invention relates to l mdin or lal pin parallelv surfaces on grliticles? but is daped to la or indthesurfaces of other articles suchl as alls and cylinders not having parallel surfaces.

It is an ob'ect of my invention to Aprovide l a machine w erein surfaces may be lapped on articles and a very high degree of` accuracy and uniformity in theiinished productA obtained.

Itis a further' object to provide' a machine inA which the .lapping or grinding surfaces will be worn down evenly.

In general, thejobject is to provide a very simple and highly eiiicient machine of the character indicated. Inl the preferred form of my inventionfa pair of discs Aare provided, and one or more work carriers are interposed between the.

discs. These carriers are adapted to carry' thearticles to be lapped and hold the same 30 vbetween thediscs. The carriers arefgiven a planetar movement between the discs, while the artic es carried by the carriers are given a movement between the discs which may be generally characterized as a eycloidal movement: as more particularly described hereinafter. In the drawingswhich show merely apreferred Aform of my invention,

Fig. 1 is afcentral vertical 40 of a lapping machine embodyingthe features ofmy'inventio .1

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken substan-'- tially inthe lane of the -linej 2 2 of Fig 1.

Inj said frame or pedestal of any4 suitable design.4 Within the upper portion 6 of the frame .is mounted a grinding or lapping disc 7 and mounted oppositely thereto is a second'grinding or lapping disc 8. These discs are, inV 'the preferred form, non-rotatable. Qne of a lapping grind# ing machine, and is particularly adaptedfor more articles 14 to- -and pair of lappingV discs 4are moved or roing gear.

sectional ViewV rawings, 5"- indicates a .mainvShownmeans in thev form of 'apertured bars 10 fittingv over pins 11"supported Vfrom Athe Meansl are provided'for'holding'articles to bev la ped between'thediscs.- Inthe'pre ferre form'shownlhave indicated a lurality of carriers ,1 2' in""the' form of discs. These' carriers are; provided with eccentri- ,cally located apertures 4ll'wliichiarepreferably v sufficiently largtio -lcrelyr-Ililpld one or ap e-.carriers tated relatively to each other. 4Inthe form shown, thelappingdiscs are non-rotatably nlilounted and carriers are rotated between 'Mounted or formed in* the frame an ,im @H1211 gear 15, andmounted'preferably concentrically inthe frame isa spur gear 16. l

The peripheries' of the vcarriersare yrovided with gear teeth which mesh .with 'th the internal and .spur gears.` :Itis thereforeobvious that upon rotation of oneo thegears, for example. the; spur gear 16, each carrier 12 will rotate about the airisofthemachine sa4 and'also aboutitsown individual a-Iis, that -isI to say, it will partake fzflagplanetary movement. The articles the carriers will thlfore be moved in asub'stantiall` cycloidal curve which. would be hypocycoidal 'if the drivin were done -by- 'the 'spur."gear 16', and epicyc o1dal, i f .thc 'gearllwere-the drivlan, abrasive substance between the articles and the lapplng discs.l .the form- 'shown the disc- 8 .is-provided on itsuppersurface with one for more 4vgrooves 17,3 andthe :bot-

into the grooves 17 will work its wa'ybetween the .articles and theA lower surfaceof theu'pper disc, 'and then down between .the articles andthe upper surface ofthe lower disc. The

. toms ofthe grooves V'are providedat inter: -v

vals with a rtures V-18 extending' .'t hro11ghl f7' vthe disc T8. t will be obvious an" abra# s'ive, such' as eme'ry dust andtoil, 'introduced excess abrasive material will run down into the space between the frame and the lower disc and may be removed through the pipes 19 and 20. It should be noted that the discs and article carriers are so proportioned that during the passa e of the carriers about the discs some ora l of the articles beinglapped will pass beyond the edges of the iscs, as indicated at 21, 22. This assage ofthe articles completely across the iscs and beyond both edges. will insure an even wearing .of the latter and prevent shoulders or other irregularities from formin on the surfaces of the discs adjacent the ges.

The o eration of the machine is as follows: The discs 7 and 8 are separated and a plurality of articles, such as rings or bushings 14, are introduced into apertures 13 in the article carriers. The heavy plate 8 is then lowered and the articles in the carriers are held between the discs 7 and 8. Tlie carriers are then rotated as by means of the pulley 23 on the shaft of spur gear 16. The abrasive substance which has been placed in the oves 17 will work its wav between -the articles and the surfaces of the lapping discs. The articles in the carriers will then be made to travel around and across the surfaces of the discs in a cycloidal path or curve. The articles themselves may also rotate or oscillate within the openings in the carriers. B this arrangement the articles 14 are boun to traverse substantially the entire' surface of each la ping disc and hence wear on the latter will uniform which insures durability and accuracy of operation.

lapping o ration should continue until all have been apped to an accurate uniform dimencion.

While I have shown the lapping discs as mounted horizontally, in which case the weight ofthe disc 8 serves to produce the repressure between the articles and discs or abraxling the articles, I do not wish to have it understood that all claimsare limited thereto.

' While I have described the invention as articularly adapted to lapping parallel suraces, it is of course obvious that the machine may be used for lapping other than parallel surfaces. It is also obvious that the invention is not confined to strictly lap- A ping operations, but that one or both discs of inherently abrasive material may be substituted for the lapping discs shown. f

While I have shown a specific embodiment of my invention, I wish it to be understood that various modications and changes may be made-therein within the scope of the ap pended claims.

I claim:

1. In a lapping machine, a pair of discs, a plurality of work carriers between said discs adapted to hold articles to be lapped, and means for moving said carriers between said discs and relatively thereto to cause each of said carriers to have a planetary motion.

2. In a lapping machine, a air Vof discs, a plurality o work carriers between said discs adapted to hold articles to be lapped, and means for moving said carriers between said discs and relatively thereto to cause each of said carriers to have a planetary motion, said carriers having a plurality of apertures located eccentrically for receiving said articles to be lapped whereby said articles will move in a cycloidalpath between said discs.

3. In a lapping machine a pair of discs, a plurality of work carriers between said discs adapted to hold articles to be lapped, and means for moving said carriers between said discs and relatively thereto, said carriers to have a planetary motion, said carriers baving a p urality of apertures located eccentricall for receiving said articles to be lappedy whereby said articles will move in a cyc oidalpath between said discs, said carrier operating to cause parts of said articles to pro'ect slightly beyond the edges of the discs uring the lap ing operation to produce uniform wear t roughout the lapping surfaces.

4. In a lapping machine, a pair of discs having lapping surfaces, work carriers mounted between said discs said carriers having eccentric apertures therein for receivin articles to be lapped, means for causing said work carriers to have a lanetary movement, whereby the same wilftraverse around and around the discs, and whereby the individual articles carried thereby will be caused to move in a cycloidal path between and around said discs.

5. In a lapping machine, a pair of discs having lapping surfaces, work carriers mounted between said discs and having eccentric apertures for receivin articles to be lapped, means for causing sai work carriers to have a planetary movement, whereby the same will traverse around and around the discs, and. whereby the individual articles carried thereby will be caused to move in a. cycloidal path between and around' said discs, the apertures being suiciently large to loosely'hol saidvarticles, whereby said articles may also have limited independent shifting movement in said apertures during the lapping o ration.

6. In a apping machine or the like, a disc, a work carrier adjacent thereto and vadapted to have a planetary motion relatively to the working face of said disc, said carrier being constructed to.4 eccentrically and separately support articles to be worked upon whereby' iis said articles will partake of a cyeloidal be lapped in a ring-1ike series at one side of movement around the working surface of the center of said dises, and means for posisaid dise during the operation of said matively moving said work carrier whereby 10 chine. said articles may partake of a planetary 5 7. In a lapping machine, two opposed lapmovement between sadl` discs at one side of ping discs, a work carrier positioned between the center of the latter. the discs and constructed to carry articles to RAYMOND R. SEARLES. 

